Clodagh, an interior designer who lives in Beacon, is the subject of a documentary produced recently for Irish television. The trailer for the film can be viewed online at Vimeo.
How did the documentary come together?
I think it was either Aidan [O’Leary, who did graphics] or Oda [O’Carroll, the director] who called me and asked if I’d be interested. I thought about it and said, “OK, let’s do it.” They filmed my husband [Beacon real-estate agent Daniel Aubry] and me in Spain, where we lived before moving back to the U.S., in Ireland, in my studio in Manhattan and on various projects. They also took footage from two previous films. The BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] filmed me when I was 27 and again 10 years later when I was leaving Ireland.
What led you to design?
I was educated at Alexandra College in Dublin and graduated with honors at 16 but never went to formal school for design. I broke my back in a horseback-riding accident. While recovering I saw an ad in The Irish Times that said, “Why not be a dress designer?” I thought, “Why the hell not?” I opened my first design business when I was 17. Fashion became my art. I would do the makeup, orchestrate the shows and do the voice-over speaking. I do what I call total design. If I have a concept, I try to flesh it out in a way that the concept is available to other people.
Were you happy with the film?
It’s hard to say you’re happy about a documentary about yourself because it’s like pushing the button for rewind. I was certainly better looking. I had more hair. It covered some very painful moments, but I think they handled it gracefully. I’ve gotten some lovely remarks and emails about it. People find that it, in a sense, opens the door for them, perhaps because I haven’t had any formal education. I was learning on the job.
Your last line in the documentary is “I don’t want to right now, but I could change careers.” What would it be?
Probably sculpting. I’ve had a lot of accidents in my life, and in one of them I lost the top of my thumb. I tried weaving but couldn’t do it; it just was too difficult. I had thought of making beautiful wall hangings. But I could handle clay or I can grind stone and stuff like that because I have the tools.
You’ve lived all over the world. What’s one thing you like about Beacon?
I was brought up in west Ireland. I was born in Oscar Wilde’s former country home near a small village called Cong. Village life has always appealed to me. When I first came to Beacon there was something very cozy about it. You have the grand stuff, because you have Dia Beacon and Storm King and this stretch of the Hudson, so it seemed to combine everything for me. I love it here.
